My clients often ask me to recommend books, articles and other resources on a variety of topics. While I have developed a short list of go-to recommendations, I’ve decided to begin a regular new feature in the Life Transition Blog – – providing recommendations of specific resources. So, I spent my airplane flight this morning reading...

A new client was recently referred to me by her friend and neighbor due to concern that her friend’s affairs were not in order. The client and her husband are in their late 80s. The husband recently suffered a fall, leading to a series of medical problems from which he was not expected to recover. ...

A great deal of time and attention often go into creating your “end of life documents” such as your will, health care directive, or durable power of attorney. However, more and more people are creating a non-legal document to add to their “end of life” portfolio, an ethical will. The ethical will is an ancient...

John and Jane Smith (names and some of the personal details changed to preserve the privacy of those involved) are a lovely couple in their mid-seventies who became southwest Florida snowbirds in 1996 and permanent residents in 2002. When I met them, the Smiths were both healthy and engaged in an active lifestyle. Their two...

A recent NYTimes New Old Age blog post regarding funeral expenses offers lots of important information for caregivers performing their “final act” on behalf of their care recipient. While it is always best for the care recipient to make their final wishes known to their caregiver and other loved ones, we all know that this...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a health fair in a local assisted living community. I was able to engage with several residents and I couldn’t help but think about some of the striking differences I observed. Let’s start with the residents themselves. The first lady I spoke with was very sweet, but...

Caregivers often struggle with how much to talk with their loved ones about the end of life. In a way, it seems easier to do so when it is abstract, long before it seems like an impending reality. As it turns out, doctors struggle with this too, but recent evidence suggests that quality of life...